A typical communal oven

Below is a photo of a typical communal oven in France. A communal oven? What? Back in medieval times, these ovens, known in French as a “four banal” were used in many areas of the Alps as a way for villagers to cook bread. That sounds nice, doesn’t it. However, such privileges came at a cost: those wanting to use the oven would have to pay the village lord a fee, and according to some sources, home ovens were often outlawed so that villagers had no choice but to use the community oven. I can’t imagine living in such a rugged place during the drafty medieval days, let alone living without the heat of an oven. What a great monopoly for the village lord.

Communal oven in Les Allues

The oven pictured here, taken last week on a snowy day in Les Allues, just down the road from Méribel, and one of many communal ovens in the valley, is no longer the only oven in town. The locals tell me that the community oven is still used sometimes, but only for special occasions such as town fêtes. Looking at it closely, you can see the darkened wood and bricks from previous baking sessions.I guess the wood has been replaced more than once over the years, and probably some of the bricks too, but when I lived in Les Allues many years ago, walking past the big old oven always led me to imagine the villagers’ way of life and what a relief it must have been to have this great big warm room to sit in, waiting for their bread to cook. The oven sits in the centre of the village, which, although modernised to a certain extent, still bears the charm of an old French farming village despite its proximity to the pistes. The village has found a balance between the medieval charm of its buildings and the twin-tip skis and inverted camber snowboards that are now as prevalent in town as personal ovens. Les Allues have certainly seen some changes, but its communal oven remains, thankfully.

About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.

5 Comments on “A typical communal oven

  1. I love posts like this where I learn something interesting! The oven looks, at first glance, like it could be a lovely and romantic thing with a nice fire in it…but as you point out, reality is often something quite different.

  2. The oven is still there! We just walked by this afternoon! I couldn’t understand what “four banal” meant and the first link was your page. Many thanks!

  3. Actually, they baked at the end of Summer for the upcoming Winter and stored the bread, dipping it into soup, coffee, or whatever…
    Read the best-selling book translated into English, entitled “A Life of Her Own.” About Emilie Carles. It’s not medieval times there, but talks about society there pre-WW I … It’s an easy read and quite good… French title “Une Soupe aux Herbes Sauvages”